If there was one general theme to Gigi's visit, it was growing. We grew butterflies from larvae, we grew flowers (marigolds, et al.), and we grew herbs and vegetables! Gigi and the kids grew their veggies from seeds in little pods before transferring them to our larger containers.
...and here they are today! The kids love to look out the kitchen window and see the plants growing each day. I just hope they'll eat some of the veggies when we harvest them!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Here Comes Gigi!!
Although she arrived 2 weeks ago, it's taken me quite some time to get to the pictures ...but here they are!!
Layna was anxiously anticipating her arrival!
It wasn't long before Brayden and Layna "welcomed" Gigi in their very own way. Gigi and Layna went into their tent (aka, under a blanket) and Brayden decided to pile on the other tents until they were completely buried!
I have lots more pictures, especially of crafts, so stay tuned!
Layna was anxiously anticipating her arrival!
It wasn't long before Brayden and Layna "welcomed" Gigi in their very own way. Gigi and Layna went into their tent (aka, under a blanket) and Brayden decided to pile on the other tents until they were completely buried!
I have lots more pictures, especially of crafts, so stay tuned!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Hello, old friends!
Long time, no see!
We have been having a bunch of fun with Gigi, but it's kept me away from blogging. I have a bunch of pictures from the past two weeks that I need to process and edit for you... but we're jetting off to Nashville for the weekend and I won't be able to get to the good posts until we get back. Until then, I'll leave you with the cute picture of Layna, reminding you that we're still here! :)
We have been having a bunch of fun with Gigi, but it's kept me away from blogging. I have a bunch of pictures from the past two weeks that I need to process and edit for you... but we're jetting off to Nashville for the weekend and I won't be able to get to the good posts until we get back. Until then, I'll leave you with the cute picture of Layna, reminding you that we're still here! :)
Monday, August 09, 2010
Morning Fun
WARNING: For grandparents (mostly)
The kids were playing really cutely (is that a word?) this morning with Zoey. So much so, that I took a quick video of them, mostly for the fabulous sounds that they make while playing. I especially love the way they play with Zoey -- listen for them to give her commands like "drop it." So fun! (NOTE -- make sure to watch it in HD, it's so much better!)
Guess who arrives tonight for 2 weeks?? -- Gigi!! On the way: craft posts galore!
The kids were playing really cutely (is that a word?) this morning with Zoey. So much so, that I took a quick video of them, mostly for the fabulous sounds that they make while playing. I especially love the way they play with Zoey -- listen for them to give her commands like "drop it." So fun! (NOTE -- make sure to watch it in HD, it's so much better!)
Guess who arrives tonight for 2 weeks?? -- Gigi!! On the way: craft posts galore!
Friday, August 06, 2010
Old Friends
Some of our friends from Virginia Seminary -- Mitch, Beth, and Eliot Bojarski -- stopped by on their way to New Orleans this week! Brayden and Layna were absolutely thrilled to "host" Eliot. The poor boy was slammed by some Girata enthusiasm as soon as he walked through the door, but he handled it like a champ and the three of them were playing like old friends in no time. The kids even got to experience a childhood rite of passage: the kids table! They were so cute sitting together -- and did an excellent job.
The next morning, we all headed to the Birmingham Zoo to spend the morning checking out the animals and playing on the rides.
We were able to see one of the keepers feed the spider monkeys -- it was pretty neat to see:
And finally, as always, it was time for the carousel!
The next morning, we all headed to the Birmingham Zoo to spend the morning checking out the animals and playing on the rides.
We were able to see one of the keepers feed the spider monkeys -- it was pretty neat to see:
And finally, as always, it was time for the carousel!
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
POP!!
Yes -- POP! Today's post pairs two recent creative ventures: (1) popcorn necklaces and (2) savory popovers. We love to get creative here, and love to eat!
Once again, Brayden came up with "a great idea" to make popcorn necklaces. We had to go out and get an old-school bottle of popcorn (memories of childhood!). Although it took some convincing in the store that the kernels in the bottle would actually become popcorn... he took my word for it and we had some great success!
Now, on to my portion of the program... Many of you know I love to cook, and I love to watch cooking shows, too! While I was watching one of my favorite shows, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, they featured the popovers from BLT Steakhouse in New York. The first thing I thought when I saw the popovers was that Nicole would LOVE them. These popovers are an eggy dough with shredded gruyere on top. The chewy dough becomes like little pillows -- crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Along with the nutty flavor of the gruyere, topped with extra butter (always!), these make for an absolutely fabulous experience. Y.U.M. You have got to try them -- click here for the recipe.
Once again, Brayden came up with "a great idea" to make popcorn necklaces. We had to go out and get an old-school bottle of popcorn (memories of childhood!). Although it took some convincing in the store that the kernels in the bottle would actually become popcorn... he took my word for it and we had some great success!
Now, on to my portion of the program... Many of you know I love to cook, and I love to watch cooking shows, too! While I was watching one of my favorite shows, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, they featured the popovers from BLT Steakhouse in New York. The first thing I thought when I saw the popovers was that Nicole would LOVE them. These popovers are an eggy dough with shredded gruyere on top. The chewy dough becomes like little pillows -- crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Along with the nutty flavor of the gruyere, topped with extra butter (always!), these make for an absolutely fabulous experience. Y.U.M. You have got to try them -- click here for the recipe.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Good Times
This is one of those theme-less posts. No matter how hard I try to link these pictures together, they all seem to stretch the imagination a bit too far... In the end, I think I'll just post them together -- just a series of fun moments over the last week or so.
We got a new family laptop a few months ago and have been discovering fun things about it ever since. While preparing for a video chat with the grands, Nic and the kids discovered that the built-in camera came with a huge array of funny features, the best include facial distortion stuff, as well as adding "special effects" (lighting your head on fire, covering your face with a gas mask, etc.). I can't really explain it, but there are dozens of ways to add goofy things to the image the picture takes... meaning there's hours of fun to be had. Here they are, having a great time making silly faces:
The kids get to watch some cartoons in the morning (especially while I'm cleaning the house on Mondays). Unbeknownst to me, Layna stole one of the hampers from the laundry room and repurposed it for some extra comfort -- such a riot!
And finally... The other night, the kids were trying to come up with a new game when Brayden spied the puppets they made with Gigi last summer. Each kid grabbed a couple puppets and headed to the sofa for a puppet show (no, they haven't done this before). I sat down for a great show -- lots of growling and roaring -- and snapped a couple quick pictures. I still marvel at their spontaneous creativity.
One last thing -- Zoey (aka "the terrorist") is typically sound asleep somewhere in the house. This morning, she was curled up in the corner of the family room. Looks comfy!
We got a new family laptop a few months ago and have been discovering fun things about it ever since. While preparing for a video chat with the grands, Nic and the kids discovered that the built-in camera came with a huge array of funny features, the best include facial distortion stuff, as well as adding "special effects" (lighting your head on fire, covering your face with a gas mask, etc.). I can't really explain it, but there are dozens of ways to add goofy things to the image the picture takes... meaning there's hours of fun to be had. Here they are, having a great time making silly faces:
The kids get to watch some cartoons in the morning (especially while I'm cleaning the house on Mondays). Unbeknownst to me, Layna stole one of the hampers from the laundry room and repurposed it for some extra comfort -- such a riot!
And finally... The other night, the kids were trying to come up with a new game when Brayden spied the puppets they made with Gigi last summer. Each kid grabbed a couple puppets and headed to the sofa for a puppet show (no, they haven't done this before). I sat down for a great show -- lots of growling and roaring -- and snapped a couple quick pictures. I still marvel at their spontaneous creativity.
One last thing -- Zoey (aka "the terrorist") is typically sound asleep somewhere in the house. This morning, she was curled up in the corner of the family room. Looks comfy!
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